Razgovor
"Razgovor" (or "Разговор") is the fifth episode of season 3, and the 50th produced hour of Person of Interest. It originally aired on October 22, 2013. Synopsis When Shaw is tasked to stay close to a 10-year-old identified by The Machine, she grudgingly develops respect for the young girl's skills in surveillance and realizes it could be the very reason why her number has come up. Meanwhile, Carter's mission to bring HR to justice risks exposure. Origin of the Title Razgovor is a Russian word meaning dialogue or conversation. The episode's alternate title is Разговор, the Cyrillic spelling of Razgovor. The episode title is taken from the 1974 film "The Conversation" starring Gene Hackman and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In the film, a surveillance specialist finds a routine surveillance job is anything but routine when he discovers he may unwittingly be part of a plot to murder a woman and her lover. Main Plot Points *Carter's surveillance of HR has allowed her to gather evidence on half of the organization But she explains to Reese that she won't make a move until she can cut off the head. *Genrika Zhirova turns out to be a young girl intent on becoming a spy who has recorded conversations implicating drug lords who try to hunt her down while Shaw protects her. *Carter converges with Reese as she undercovers HR's plan to control the drug trade and Reese tracks the drug ring that kidnapped Gen. Shaw recovers Gen from Simmons. *Mike Laskey reveals his true colors and tries to ambush Carter but is instead blackmailed by her. *Root kidnaps Shaw. Flashbacks *Shaw and her father are involved in a car accident in 1993 that costs Shaw's father his life. Shaw is rescued but shows no emotional response to the news of her father's death leading her rescuers to believe that there is something wrong with her. Episode Notes *Genrika is based in part on the children's fiction character Harriet Welsch, featured in the novel "Harriet the Spy". In the book, first published in 1964, 11-year-old Harriet is preparing to be a spy by monitoring her classmates and neighbors on her afternoon "spy route" while keeping detailed notes in a notebook. Eventually, her notebook is found by her schoolmates, who are appalled by the candor of her observations, landing her in trouble when they retaliate by forming a Spycatcher Club. The novel is set in New York's Upper East Side. *Genrika's new school is named for Louise Fitzhugh, who wrote "Harriet the Spy" along with A.J. Quinnell, who wrote "Man on Fire." The lead character in "Man on Fire" is John Creasy, a cynical former CIA agent who is hired to rescue a young girl who has been kidnapped, only to find no one with whom he is working can be trusted, a situation similar to the one in which Shaw finds herself. * The Bratva, or Russian Mafia, figures prominently in this episode. The Bratva is a loose confederation of organized crime organizations, based in Russia, parts of the former Soviet Union, and New York's Brighton Beach. Genrika's hometown, Solntsevo, is a district of the city of Moscow which provides the name for one of the biggest factions of the Russian Mafia, the Solntsevskaya Bratva. * The medal Gen gives Shaw is the Order of Lenin, the highest honor that can be awarded to a Soviet citizen. It is traditionally awarded for outstanding service to the State or to society by a civilian, or for meritorious service in the military. The medal was awarded from 1930 to late 1991, just prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. The Cyrillic letters ЛЕНИН spell out the name Lenin, for Vladimir Illych Lenin, the leader of the October Rebellion (or more commonly, the Bolshevik Revolution), which lead to the deposition of the Russian royal family and establishment of the socialist Russia. Decoration on the medal includes the red Soviet star and the hammer and sickle, symbols of the Soviet era, along with a ribbon in red and gold, the colors of the Soviet flag. * The team discusses Gen's immigration status, and notes that she has a United States Permanent Resident Card (USCIS Form I-551), commonly known as a "Green Card" because of its green coloration. Holders of this card are non-citizens entitled to live permanently in the United States, and the card is the first step toward earning U.S. citizenship. * This episode has a similar plot structure to Wolf and Cub, where Reese protects a boy who has insights into his protector's character. Acronyms and Vocabulary *'Razgovor' (Разговор) is a Russian word meaning dialogue or conversation. Production Notes Bloopers and Continuity Errors *While playing Gen's tape recordings of HR's conversations, Finch mistakenly refers to Simmons as "Detective Simmons" when in fact he's an officer. *When Shaw transfuses blood from Yogorov, it would not have worked as her arm was at a level higher than his. *Shaw is stated to have found the drug lab by following the GPS from Terney's phone. However, Terney is not at the lab nor is their any sign of him having been there and then leaving when Shaw shows up. Music Trivia *The doctor Finch recommended who could stitch up Shaw, Dr. Farouk Madani, is the same doctor who saved Reese's life after he was shot by Mark Snow and Tyrell Evans. *Finch's cell phone number makes another appearance. Quotes *"A girl after my own heart" (Finch, about Gen) *"Read the labels, Harold." (Finch) *"You're not gonna believe this, Finch. Shaw just got made by a ten-year-old." (Reese) * "To be honest, I'm only in it for the dog." (Shaw) * "I thought you might be a robot." (Gen, after poking at Shaw) *"What, Finch, you think I didn't bug your office?" (Shaw) *"I've recovered Gen's tapes, right where she said they were. Girl after my own heart." (Finch) *"Did anyone ever tell you it’s not polite to spy on people little girl." (Simmons, to Gen) *"Armies fall... one soldier at a time." (Reese, to Simmons) *"You hired me to save Gen, not bust dirty cops. So unless you got a better idea, I'm gonna need those tapes." (Shaw to Finch) *"Gotta hand it to you Finch, this was a better idea." (Shaw) *"Now, about that bug in my library..." "Haven't found it yet, have you?" (Finch and Shaw) *"Hey, Finch, how much you know about chemistry?" "Enough." (Finch and Shaw) * "You don't work for HR anymore, son. You work for me now." (Carter, to Laskey) * "It's not that you don't have feelings. It's just like the volume is turned way down, like the sound of an old tape. The voices are there, you just have to listen." (Gen, to Shaw) * "Did you miss me? We're gonna have so much fun together." (Root, to Shaw) Media References es:Razgovor it:La conversazione Category:Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Episodes with Multiple Persons of Interest Category:Season 3 Episodes Category:Episodes with Shaw Flashbacks